Intel and IBM agree on blade server standards

Intel and IBM have agreed to open up IBM's BladeCenter switch technology so that it can be used by more server makers. The move is part of an initiative to spur the adoption of a specification for low-cost blade servers.

By
Sumner Lemon, IDG News Service
| Oct 23, 2008

| IDG News Service

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Intel and IBM have agreed to open up IBM's BladeCenter switch technology so that it can be used by more server makers. The move is part of an initiative to spur the adoption of a specification for low-cost blade servers.

"We will be taking the BladeCenter switch specification and opening it up for access, royalty-free access, to any SSI adopter," said Kirk Skaugen [CQ], vice president and general manager of Intel's Server Platforms Group, during an interview at the Intel Developer Forum in Taipei.

Last year, SSI released a draft specification for low-cost blade servers that did not include all of the components required to build a blade server. "The piece, quite candidly, that was missing if you're going to build a whole blade system was the switch specification," Skaugen said.

"This will be the final puzzle piece to complete a full blade system," he said, adding that the final SSI specification for blade servers should be ready by the end of the year.

The SSI specification is aimed at smaller server makers and regional players, such as India's HCL Infosystems and Tyan in Taiwan. The SSI blade specification is designed to reduce manufacturing costs for these companies by setting standards for various components, such as power supplies and motherboards.